Bite the bullet

Currently in the process of installing my chinese motor that arrived today and it became readily apparent that the lack of instructions included in my shipping box is what is making me lack a complete project today. I have been reading a lot and a lot of my questions have already been asked and answered but I have not been able to find the answers to these questions.

1. I have some parts that I have no idea what in the world they are. Could the collective help me identify them? (I know: the chain tensioner, the sprocket cover, the CDI, and the fuel tube. The other stuff I have no clue: The copper piece with a screw, the circular metal tube with 4 holes,the springs, and the plate with 3 hole and a bolt in it.)

2. The chain, I would assume that the nut holding the sprocket on the motor would have to be removed for the chain to be successfully added on, and I need to buy a chain break to re-size the chain. N'est pas?

3. Before starting the motor for the first time should I take out the spark plug and and put some oil in there or would that be excessive with the oil already in the gas?

4. Anyone like to come and drink a few beers while giving good advice? (Austin, TX)

1. I have some parts that I have no idea what in the world they are. Could the collective help me identify them? (I know: the chain tensioner, the sprocket cover, the CDI, and the fuel tube. The other stuff I have no clue: The copper piece with a screw, the circular metal tube with 4 holes,the springs, and the plate with 3 hole and a bolt in it.)
the copper piece with a screw is for your clutch cable, it's a cable stop. holds the clutch cable tight in the clutch arm
the circular metal tube with 4 holes is for removing the spark-plug
the plate with 3 hole and a bolt in it is called a 'large frame adapter' and requires drilling a hole in the frame of your bike to mount the motor. I would NEVER drill a hole in a bike frame as there are other better ways to mount the motor in a large frame bike.

The chain, I would assume that the nut holding the sprocket on the motor would have to be removed for the chain to be successfully added on, and I need to buy a chain break to re-size the chain
there are a couple ways to get the chain in, I remove the cover on the magneto and use a socket wrench on that bolt to turn the motor and feed the chain through. Yes you will need to break the chain to get it to the proper size.

Before starting the motor for the first time should I take out the spark plug and and put some oil in there or would that be excessive with the oil already in the gas?
I've not heard of anyone doing that and didn't do it myself. I think it'll be fine without the extra oil there.

Anyone like to come and drink a few beers while giving good advice?
sorry I'm in Memphis TN and prefer my bud in a bowl not a bottle ;-)

Haha, never heard that last line before that is amusing. Have you ever seen Willie Nelson play? Well that answers a lot, thank you so much. I have yet to go to the store and get the chain break, so that is next and the only thing I have left is the springs. Where in the world do they go?

Another thing that is bothering me is that the sprocket for the rear tire (44t), when I mounted it, it did not seem very centered, and when I got it centered I am fairly certain that it will not stay there for long. How did y'all do it?

the rear sprocket is VERY tricky, it's also important to get it centered and fairly straight, not much 'wobble' to it. just continue to work with it until it's right.
the springs are much easier
the bigger spring goes on the clutch cable housing next to the motor, on the right side of the bike, the smaller spring is the clutch return spring and goes on the cable between the clutch arm and the housing stop that's screwed into the motor under the carb.

I saw Willie play a free concert at the University of Memphis about 8-19 years ago. Who doesn't love Willie? Have you heard Toby Keiths song "I'll never smoke **** with Willie again"

The Spooky Tooth site has some reasonably good instructions as well. Beleive me if you had received the "Chinese-English" instructions that these engines normally come with you wouldn't have been any better off than you are now!

Example: "At the ends of the handle of the clutch, please ensure keep a certain free space, generally 2-3 mm."

It doesn't get any better either. Good luck and do not expect for a moment that your first install will go smoothly! Just keep trying and asking questions until it works! That's why we hang out here.

That makes more sense now, god forbid that there are extra parts. My father always told me that it's good luck to have spare parts.... it is just more efficient engineering when you can put it together without all the parts

I would love to have the actual instruction manual that outlines the correct way to install everything. Literally there were 6 numbered instructions for the entire thing. "Put engine on bike and mount." that does not help me.
My email is: [email protected]

It went smoother than expected, which is not saying much but it is a blessing. I bought the chain break tool today, so the only thing lacking is the gasoline. Is sizing the chain difficult? I watched the video by the bicycle tutor about the chain break but I don't want to screw it up.

As for the carburetor: what should the settings be for the carb? I am sure as well there are tutorials out there for this, so I will do the research.

I really like you guys, helpful without the banter... it's nice and refreshing for a change. "I'll never smoke **** with Willie again, my party's all over before it begins. In the fetal position..."

Rumor has it these bikes generate power of 6v, but how many amps? If they produce a couple of amps, where can I get a 6v headlight?

And if you're worried about the rear sprocket not centered, then try the shifter kit from Sick Bike Parts found on the upper left corner. But you might find it even more confusing with more parts.

I used a nylon hose, slit it lengthwise, put it inside the hole of the sprocket to act as a spacer between sprocket and hub. It does not totally put it in center, but it does prevent the sprocket to wobble too often.

Alright a little further on today. I got almost everything lined up, then the chain. A little bit of a preface. I sold my car so this bike is my only method of transportation. That makes it very difficult to go all over the town looking for parts, but the bus helps, and the bike can ride on the front

So the chain, I took one too many links off, darn. So someone mentioned that I needed to get another "master link" or quick connect link, so off to the cycle store. Turns out that the chain that it came with is 415ER and on the way back to the house, after replacing the tube in the front the day before I got a flat about 4 miles away from home. Home again home again, and while the bike was working, the sprocket in the back is wobbling like a drunk at Oktoberfest. Grrrr.

Tomorrow there will be blood. Sprocket and chain or bust. Thanks for all the encouragement and support guys.

whatever you do, don't let it get you down. Sometimes these motors can give you a real hard time.
I have replaced the crappy 415 chain that comes with the kit with a 41 chain from Tractor Supply Co. If the chain is a little long use some spacers at the rear motor mount to move the motor forward. If there is an inch of slack in the chain you will only need to use 1/4 to 1/2 inch spacers on the mount. This will allow you to be rid of another piece of frustrating equipment, the chain tensioner. The right amount of tension on the chain negates the use of a tensioner and when the chain stretches you can remove a link if needed or add another spacer on the rear mount.
good luck and happy motoring

Flat tires are a real hassle. Try using one of those Kevlar belted tires like the Maxxis Overdrive. For the wobbling sprocket, try to tighten the bolts and nuts at the same time, opposite nuts at a time. Takes a lot of patience...

Steel Gary Fisher is a good choice for a first build. Everything should fit well with some tinkering. It's also light; probably under 30 lbs.
I used a bicycle chain tool on my mo-bike chain. It was a pain in the butt because it didn't fit that well, but I was able to shorten the chain for a better fit.
There is an an installation manual for Chinese motors posted on this site. Click around until you find it.
The easiest way to build your bike is with a chum that has built one himself. (Beer should attract one). The rest of us have to rely on help from the erudite members of this forum, as I did. Cheers

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Yeah, well I still have a flat tire, and I cut the chain too short, so off to tractor supply tomorrow to get the 41 chain, then off to tighten the sprocket, mix the oil and gas and for the first ride. I rode about 10 miles with the engine on but not running, to try to get a master link that ended up not fitting. So tomorrow is the day... hopefully.